Weighing in officially at 1041 pounds in 1956 and estimated to weight 1069 pounds at his death, Robert Earl Hughes (1926-1958, from the Fishhook, Illinois area) was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World's Heaviest Person.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Reminiscing on Robert Earl Hughes: Dorothy (Carter) Gillis

I received a phone call from Dorothy (Carter) Gillis, 81, telling me of her encounter with Mr. Hughes. It turns out that she was one of the last tourists to see Robert Earl on exhibit. It was early July in 1958 as she and her family were traveling from Springfield OH and stopped with her kids at a carnival where REH was showing."We saw him and the kids were just amazed," said Mrs. Gillis. "We talked with him for a long time. He was just so pleasant and as sweet as could be and he sounded quite intelligent."While there, she was told to keep her distance though as they feared that he had just contracted the measles. Those who have read the book know that this was quite likely the last day he ever exhibited.

2 comments:

My grandfather, Ralph Orr was a neighbor to Robert Earl and spoke of him often. Grandpa was a member of the Anti-horse Theaf Society. That group raised the money to purchase his head stone. Sorry if I missed this in the Book.Thank you Scott for recording these wonderful memories.Keith BradburyJacksonville IL

About this blog:

This blog is a suppliment to the biography "Robert Earl Hughes: The Largest Man to Ever Walk the Earth" (by Scott Maruna, published by the Swamp Gas Book Co. 2008, ISBN 978-0-9728605-5-0) Since my manuscript for the book was submitted, I have continued to hear and learn more about this amazing man's life (and I am certain that after the book's release more facts and stories will come my way) so I decided to create this blog as a depository of this new information. I hope you enjoy.